These K-9 recruits have a nose for solving mysteries

NEW YORK -- The FDNY showed off the hard work of some very important department members on Wednesday -- their K-9 officers.

The FDNY's six K-9 officers are a part of the K-9 Accelerant Detection and Search and Rescue team.

"They have millions of more cells within their noses and can smell a million times more," FDNY K9 unit trainer Joseph Digiacomo said.

They do the work their human handlers can't.

"Most commonly they will be searching for gas or lighter fluid," DiGiacomo said.

He relies on his partner, K-9 Ray, to sniff out accelerants during fire investigations.

"When his nose is directly on it that's when we will have to find it," Digiacomo said.

And K-9 Ray's accuracy is sitting at a 97 percentile.

"Our original K-9 we put into service in 2017," FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.

K-9 Bucca is so good he won a congressional medal for bravery.

A year later came K-9 Petey. Since the summer of 2020, four new dogs came, making the total six.

"Currently we have 24-hour coverage by FDNY K-9s every day," Flynn said.

They have covered a hundred fires each, and they are workaholics with the K-9 teams now expanding to include search and rescue.

Just to be in service, these accelerate detection dogs have to complete 300 hours of training, and then train every single day and month and be recertified every single year on top of that.

They are determined to work for the people of this great city.